Ketawa Chicken: Why is He Laughing?

BREED NAME: Ketawa Chicken: Why is He Laughing?

BRIEF DESCRIPTION: This chicken developed mainly on its own, considered an Indonesian landrace. The long crow begins as most roosters crow but breaks into a choppy and long winded sound earning it the name: Laughing Chicken. Of course, only the males are laughing.

BREED NAME, The Facts:

Class: Landrace

Comb, Wattles & Earlobes: Red Single comb

Color: any

Place of Origin: Indonesia

Conservation Status: common

Special Qualities: Originally from Celebs Island, the breed is wide spread throughout much of Indonesia now and a favored breed for special crowing or laughing contests. The winner may reward his owner with a trophy and prize document and might bring hundreds or thousands of dollars if sold, depending on the size of the competition.

There are three basic types of Laughing Chicken. Dangdut carries the Indonesian music gene, then there is the slow dangdut and one called the “popular” type. In reality the most popular is the slow dangdut also known as: Ayam (chicken) Ketawa or Ayam Gaga .

Genetically speaking the Ketawa is not much different than most native landrace chickens in Indonesia, except some roosters laugh.

This laughter is a prized sound causing selective breeding and domestication of select birds. It’s a common sight in Indonesia to see several laughing roosters caged or tethered in the yards of fanciers.

This is a tall breed with long necks and shanks and slender body. Hens go broody well, as most native chickens do, but rarely produce over 60 eggs a year.